TEACHER RETIREMENTS. NEWS FOUR'S BETH BROTHERTON REPORTS...ON A FAREWELL IN GREENVILLE COUNTY...FOR A PRINCIPAL WHO IS ONE OF A KIND. Good morning weirdos... WEIRDOS...IT'S THE GREETING... Hey weirdo AND TERM OF AFFECTION THAT PRINCIPAL MERRY COX HAS BEEN USING ON HER LEAGUE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS...FOR 30 YEARS. The truth is all middle school kids are weirdos and so are their teachers and principals. TRUE...COX IS QUIRKY. Reflex check. ok. Ok. You're good. SECONDS AFTER STUDENTS LEAVE THE COMFORT OF THEIR PARENT'S CAR... COX IS TOSSING A BALL IN THEIR DIRECTION. Ready, that was a bad throw THE GAME ENDS...ONLY WHEN THE OWNER OF THE BALL...TROTS IN TO CLAIM WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY HIS. Oop, there he goes. THAT'S INDY...COX'S DOG...OFFICIAL STAFF MEMBER AT LEAGUE. SCHOOL DISTRICT APPROVED TAGS AND ALL. HE'S COME TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY SINCE LEAGUE MOVED INTO IT'S NEW BUILDING. AND LIKE COX...JUST DAYS AWAY FROM RETIREMENT. There is never a good time to leave a good place, but there is a right time. COX LEAD THIS SCHOOL THROUGH A TWO YEAR RE- CONSTRUCTION PROJECT... that was the rain in the portables. THAT SHE REFERS TO AS "THE UNFORTUNATE INCARCERATION"... IN 50 PORTABLES ON A MUDDY TRACK. True middle school, both of them 8th grade COX HAS SO MANY FUNNY STORIES THAT SHE'S COLLECTED THEM IN A BOOK...TITLED "DEATH BY BOOKBAG"... THERE ARE THE TOUCHING ONES TOO...ABOUT THE MORNING OF HER VERY FIRST PRINCIPALS MEETING. My first principals meeting was 9-11. I kept thinking I just got this job and the world has just changed. HER PHILOSOPHY THROUGH THE YEARS...MAKE MIDDLE SCHOOL A PLACE KIDS WON'T HATE. When you ask adults now, they say that was the worst time, I hated middle school. i hope this generation will say that wasn't bad. There were fun teachers, we did some cool stuff, there was a lady with a dog. LEAVING STUDENTS WITH MEMORIES OF A DOG WHO BEGS FOR COOKIES IN THE HOME EC ROOM... AND A PRINCIPAL WHO KNEW THEM WELL ENOUGH TO CALL THEM WEIRDOS... BETH BROTHERTON, WYFF NEWS FOUR. COX HAS NO FIRM PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. SHE SAYS SHE IS FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF HER FATHER TO RETIRE AS FAST AS SHE CAN...SO SHE DOESN'T MISS THE NEXT GREAT